Darla Rooks is a bayou fisherman to the core. When she married Todd 20 years ago, she wore her white plastic fishing boots under her wedding dress. Todd and Darla love shrimping in the coastal waters of Louisiana the way cowboys love riding the west Texas range. It's in their blood—a calling passed down through the generations—a lifestyle they hope to pass on to their grandkids.
As the 111th Congress of the United States of America draws to a close there is a unique opportunity for assisting the ongoing struggle for full recovery of the Gulf Coast. The region, battered by the 2005 hurricane season, which was led by Hurricane Katrina, the largest and most expensive disaster in the history of country and followed by several smal
Michelle Nix, from Pensacola, Florida, founded the group Gulf Coast Oil Spill Volunteers in an effort to be pro-active and do what she could to help when the BP oil disaster began on April 20.
A cold northerly wind blew through the bayous of Louisiana last night, bringing near-frost like conditions and hastening the end of the worst shrimp season in memory. Only the small fry are left, and they too are on the move with their larger brethren, swimming out to sea to feed over the winter. They will wait for warmer temperatures of spring before they return to their spawning grounds of the marsh.
Since Thanksgiving, more than 100,000 emergency claims from Gulf Coast residents and business have been denied by Ken Feinberg’s Gulf Coast Claims Facility.
For many here at ground zero of the BP oil disaster, news has fluctuated between the absurd and the insane. On the national front, testimony from the on-going presidential oil spill commission shows a seemingly never-ending cascade of mistakes and dismal safety measures, including a rig technician who missed key signals the well was going to blow up while he was on a smoking break.
Bridge the Gulf contributor Mickey Sou recounts his experience distributing pies and turkeys over Thanksgiving to people who are hurting because of the BP oil disaster.
Fishermen, seafood factory workers, shrimpers, truck drivers, even the man who sits there at the corner and sells those delicious Gulf Shrimp; All came for a free turkey and pie! Free? Yes, you heard me, FREE turkeys and pies for people affected by the oil disaster.
After Hurricane Gustav in 2008, north Baton Rouge residents were left without electricity for nearly two weeks. Across the street at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge refinery, the second largest refinery in the country, workers were dealing with their own mess.
Coden, Alabama – On Saturday, this small coastal community became home to one of the largest solar power systems in the state of Alabama.
The 25,000 kilowatt system, powered by 108 solar panels, was installed in the Coastal Response Center, a hurricane shelter, community center, and home to the local group South Bay Communities Alliance, whose advocacy repaired and renovated the building after Hurricane Katrina.
Originally published as an email to the Gulf Coast Fund's network of grantees, December 15th 2010.
I am currently en route via Amtrak to today's White House Summit on Environmental Justice - an historic, all-day gathering of federal cabinet secretaries and environmental leaders from across the United States (see details in Press Release below).
Finding himself working as both a teacher and translator in a Heating, Ventilating and Air-conditioning Installation and Repair (HVAC) program was a surprise for Duc Nguyen. An experienced HVAC professional, he said, “I have always been a very hands-on type, and I never really liked the classroom. I have learned to appreciate the importance of the time spent there since teaching this class.”
With the DREAM Act now stopped by the Senate, the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA-NO) continues to hope that undocumented young people across the nation will get the opportunity to become American citizens.
Hello all, my name is Stephanie Thomas and I am a lifelong resident of the North Gulfport Community in Gulfport, Mississippi. This neighborhood consists of primarily low income African Americans who have generations of family here, and are being threatened by the proposed port of Gulfport expansion project. The expansion is being billed as an economic boon to our area, but a closer look reveals that it is unlikely to significantly benefit our community economica
As the 111th Congress of the United States of America draws to a close there is a unique opportunity for assisting the ongoing struggle for full recovery of the Gulf Coast. The region, battered by the 2005 hurricane season, which was led by Hurricane Katrina, the largest and most expensive disaster in the history of country and followed by several smal 
By Dahr Jamail, crossposted from 
Since Thanksgiving, more than 100,000 emergency claims from Gulf Coast residents and business 
After Hurricane Gustav in 2008, north Baton Rouge residents were left without electricity for nearly two weeks. Across the street at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge refinery, the second largest refinery in the country, workers were dealing with their own mess. 
By Sue Sturgis, Crossposted from 
Coden, Alabama – On Saturday, this small coastal community became home to one of the largest solar power systems in the state of Alabama.
Finding himself working as both a teacher and translator in a Heating, Ventilating and Air-conditioning Installation and Repair (HVAC) program was a surprise for Duc Nguyen. An experienced HVAC professional, he said, “I have always been a very hands-on type, and I never really liked the classroom. I have learned to appreciate the importance of the time spent there since teaching this class.”
With the DREAM Act now stopped by the Senate, the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (
Hello all, my name is Stephanie Thomas and I am a lifelong resident of the North Gulfport Community in Gulfport, Mississippi. This neighborhood consists of primarily low income African Americans who have generations of family here, and are being threatened by the proposed port of Gulfport expansion project. The expansion is being billed as an economic boon to our area, but a closer look reveals that it is unlikely to significantly benefit our community economica 